Ukita Kōkichi

His father died when Ukita was seven years old, after which he moved to the city of Okayama and apprenticed to a papermaker (hyogu-shi, a maker of shōji or fusuma).

He used his skill in papermaking to create wings, constructing the delicate ribs from bamboo, covering them with paper and fabric, and varnishing the surface with lacquer from Japanese persimmons.

After discarding many prototypes, Ukita attempted to fly from a bridge over the Asahi River in the summer of 1785.

Once the business was established, he turned the shop over to his nephew and became a dental technician under the name Binkōsai, earning his reputation with excellent dentures.

Another is that Ukita moved to Mitsuke in Tōtōmi Province (now Iwata, Shizuoka), where he quietly spent the rest of his life with his wife and children and died peacefully in 1847 at age 92.